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Rich’s Rapidfire Recommendations – bite-sized metal morsels to let you know about albums that have grabbed Rich Davenport by the ears, that we hope you’ll enjoy too! ROCK ON!

Artist: THE IDES OF MARCH
Album: “Last Band Standing”
Label: self-released
Released: April 18th, 2015

See the complete tracklisting below.

The Ides Of March – Last Band Standing. – The Definitive 50 Year Anniversary Collection Classic Rock doesn’t get any more classic than this! Jim Peterik is widely acclaimed not only as the writer of the run of Hard Rock hits his band Survivor landed on charts around the world, but also as co-creator of favourite singles and album tracks by 38 Special, Sammy Hagar, Lynyrd Skynyrd and others outside the Rock realm. His original band, The Ides Of March, was the outfit in which Jim initially developed and polished his songcraft , and this 4CD / 1 DVD box set charts the amazing 50-year musical journey that saw Jim and his high-school buddies (with the core members still in the line-up five decades on!) literally grow up in public, their own growth mirroring the ascent of the Classic Rock genre itself, with the lads from Chicago taking a cue from those four lads from Liverpool and their British Invasion cohorts, moving on to absorb elements of the exciting array of emerging sounds that rang out through the 60s and 70s, from the Byrds, on to Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, hints of Psychedelia, Soul, Blues, Funk, Gospel and Country Rock.

In his autobiography “Through The Eye Of The Tiger” (well worth reading for a refreshing change from the standard sex, drugs and scandal fare of many Rock bios), Jim observes that the band went through many musical changes before hitting on their own style in the early-to-mid 70s, prior to going on hiatus until the early 90s. However, that’s not to say that the Ides don’t (or didn’t!) have their own clear musical identity. Over the course of the 4 CDs (and one DVD), you can hear that they already had something special about them right from their first single, the Kinks / Who-influenced “Like It Or Lump It”, released in 1965, and this spark grew brighter through the early sides gathered on CD1, as they honed their trademark vocal harmonies, added a horn section, and Jim’s voice matured into a soulful, blues-infused baritone; these elements all converged perfectly on their 1970 chart-topper “Vehicle”, and you’d be hard pressed to find a funkier, groovier slice of horn-driven Rock anywhere (and if you want further evidence, check out the extras on the dvd, where none other than Tom Jones and Sammy Davis Jr groove on down with their own far-out versions, man!)

From that point on, the Ides had all the necessary tools to capitalise on the chops they’d worked up learning their trade on those early releases, and from that point on, you’ll hear them really flourish as they distill their influences into a distinctive Ides personality, eventually adding a touch of Poco / Eagles style Country Rock to their musical brew, their vocal harmonies rising to the standard set by those Californian contemporaries. Poco’s own Rusty Young makes a cameo on pedal steel on disc 3, which contains sought after tracks from their “World Woven” and “Midnight Oil” albums, collected here on CD for the first time.

After a hiatus, Jim reconvened the band in the early 90s, and CD4 shows the Ides reaping the benefit of his 80s work with Survivor and other Hard Rock luminaries, as he brings elements of the melodic style he helped pioneer back into the IOM’s subsequent material, while still retaining the varied stylistic approach that characterised their best 70s releases. In addition to a selection of live cuts from various eras, the band also lay down 3 fine new numbers, including title track “Last Man Standing”, an autobiographical account of the band’s path from high school shows, on to gigging with Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers, and rubbing shoulders with Beatles!

And the icing on this anniversary cake is a live DVD, filmed on home turf at the Chicago House of Blues, showing the band on potent form as they deliver their own classics and a selection of Jim’s co-written hits from Survivor, 38 Special and Sammy Hagar. On the strength of these effervescent concert performances, I for one would love to hear the band make a studio album along the lines of “The Ides of March Play The Jim Peterik Songbook”.

If you’re already a fan of Jim’s songwriting, then this box set allows you to see and hear a significant part of his musical history in chronological sequence, also showing him to be a first-class frontman, lead vocalist, and lead guitarist in his own right. And for those unfamiliar with the Ides of March, there’s a wealth of great songs to discover and enjoy here. Happy Anniversary guys, long may you Rock!

Tracklist:

CD 1

Last Band Standing
Who I Am
Too Far to Turn Around
Like It or Lump It
No Two Ways About It
You Wouldn’t Listen
I’ll Keep Searching
I’ll Take You Back
Please Don’t Tell Me Lies
Train of Love
Don’t Cry to Me
You Tell Me Why
I Put It Out of My Head
The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore
Roller Coaster
Things Aren’t Always What They Seem
My Foolish Pride
Give Your Mind Wings
Hole in My Soul
Girls Don’t Grow on Trees (Stereo Mix)
I’m Gonna Say My Prayers
You Need Love
Sha La La La Lee
Nobody Loves Me
Strawberry Sunday
One Woman Man
High on a Hillside

CD 2

Vehicle (Mono Single Mix)
Lead Me Home Gently
Aire of Good Feeling
Symphony for Eleanor (Eleanor Rigby)
Bald Medusa
Home
Wooden Ships/Dharma for One
Superman (Stereo Album Mix)
A. Goodbye
Hymn for Her
Tie Dye Princess
We are Pillows (Prelude to Freedom)
Freedom Sweet
Giddy Up Ride Me
Melody
Reunion
Pepsi (Vehicle Commercial)
Vehicle (Stereo Album Mix)
The Star Spangled Banner

CD 3

Mother America
All Join Hands
Colorado Morrow
Diamond Fire
Flipside
Children
Hot Water
Lay Back
Quicksilver
Roadie Ode
Gotta Share This Feeling
American Express
Rag for a Vagabond Lady
Love’s Got the Power
Summer in the City
Don’t Fight This Feeling
Finally Next Year

CD 4

Friendly Stranger (Vehicle Overture)
Spirit of Chicago
I’d Love Her Anyway
Love Don’t Choose
Age Before Beauty
Moon Out of Phase
One Hit Wonder
Come Dancing
A Day in the Life
The Forgotten Oldie
Pepperhead
Secrets of a Woman
Soul to Soul
For One Moment
Still 19
Live Life
Keep Rocking

DVD

Live in Concert at the House of Blues, Chicago, May 31, 2014 (15 song set)
Last Band Standing (Music Video)
From the Vaults
Vehicle (with Buddy Guy)

CD 1, Tracks 1-3 new recordings, previously unreleased
CD 1, Tracks 4-5 from Epitome single, 1965
CD 1, Tracks 6-7 from Parrot single, 1966
CD 1, Tracks 9-14 rec. 1966, previously unreleased
CD 1, Tracks 15-16 from Parrot single, 1966
CD 1, Tracks 17-18 from Parrot single, 1966
CD 1, Tracks 19-20 from Parrot single, 1967
CD 1, Track 21 rec. 1967, previously unreleased
CD 1, Tracks 22-23 from Parrot single, 1967
CD 1, Tracks 24-25 from Kapp single, 1968
CD 1, Tracks 26-27 from Warner Bros. single, 1968
CD 2, Tracks 1-2 from Warner Bros. single, 1970
CD 2, Tracks 3-7 & 18 from Vehicle, Warner Bros., 1970
CD 2, Tracks 8-13 from Common Bond, Warner Bros., 1971
CD 2, Tracks 14-15 from Warner Bros. single, 1971
CD 2, Tracks 16 & 19 previously unreleased
CD 2, Track 17 recorded 1970
CD 3, Tracks 1-6 from World Woven, RCA, 1972
CD 3, Tracks 7-10 from Midnight Oil, RCA, 1973
CD 3, Tracks 11-13 rec. at Michigan Tech, 1972, from The Lost Tapes
CD 3, Tracks 14-15 rec. 2008, rec. live at Norris Cultural Arts Center, St. Charles, IL
CD 3, Track 16 rec. 2002, rec. live at McInnich Art Center, Glen Ellyn, IL
CD 3, Track 17 from Cubs’ Greatest Hits, 1999
CD 4, Tracks 1 & 5-6 from Age Before Beauty, Ides of March Records, 1997
CD 4, Tracks 2-4 from Ideology, Ides of March Records, 1991
CD 4, Track 7 from Ideology II.0, Ides of March Records, 2000
CD 4, Track 8 previously unreleased remix of original track from Still 19, Ides of March Records, 2010
CD 4, Tracks 9, 12-17 from Still 19, 2010
CD 4, Tracks 10-11 from Idessentials, 2005